Reading Comprehension Questions

Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply.

2. The passage suggests that Glass's work displays which of the

following qualities?

A. A return to the use of popular music in classical compositions B. An attempt to elevate rock music to an artistic status more closely

approximating that of classical music C. A long-standing tendency to incorporate elements from two

apparently disparate musical styles 3. Select the sentence that distinguishes two ways of integrating rock and

classical music.

Explanation

The passage describes in general terms how Philip Glass uses popular music in his classical compositions and explores how Glass can do this without being imitative. Note that there are no opposing views discussed; the author is simply presenting his or her views.

Question 1: One of the important points that the passage makes is that when Glass uses popular elements in his music, the result is very much his own creation (it is “distinctively his”). In other words, the music is far from being derivative. Thus one issue that the passage addresses is the one referred to in answer choice E — it answers it in the

negative. The passage does not discuss the impact of Glass's use of popular elements on listeners, on the commercial success of his music, on other composers or on Glass's reputation, so none of choices A through D is correct. The correct answer is choice E. Question 2: To answer this question, it is important to assess each answer choice independently. Since the passage says that Glass revived the use of popular music in classical compositions, answer choice A is clearly correct. On the other hand, the passage also denies that Glass composes popular music or packages it in a way to elevate its status, so answer choice B is incorrect. Finally, since Glass's style has always mixed elements of rock with classical elements, answer choice C is correct. Thus the correct answer is choice A and choice C.

Question 3: Almost every sentence in the passage refers to incorporating rock music in classical compositions, but only the last sentence distinguishes two ways of doing so. It distinguishes between writing rock music in a way that will make it attractive to classical listeners and writing classical music that will be attractive to listeners familiar with rock. Thus the correct answer is the last sentence of the passage.

Text Completion Questions

Skilled readers do not simply absorb the information presented on the page; instead, they maintain a constant attitude of interpretation and evaluation, reasoning from what they have read so far to create a picture of the whole and revising that picture as they go. Text Completion questions test this ability by omitting crucial words from short passages and asking the test taker to use the remaining information in the passage as a basis for selecting words or short phrases to fill the blanks and create a coherent, meaningful whole.

Question Structure

? Passage composed of one to five sentences ? One to three blanks

? Three answer choices per blank (five answer choices in the case of a single

blank)

? The answer choices for different blanks function independently; i.e.,

selecting one answer choice for one blank does not affect what answer choices you can select for another blank

? Single correct answer, consisting of one choice for each blank; no credit for

partially correct answers

Tips for Answering

? Do not merely try to consider each possible combination of answers; doing

so will take too long and is open to error. Instead, try to analyze the passage in the following way:

? Read through the passage to get an overall sense of it.

? Identify words or phrases that seem particularly significant, either because

they emphasize the structure of the passage (words like although or

moreover) or because they are central to understanding what the passage is about.

? Try to fill in the blanks with words or phrases that seem to complete the

sentence, then see if similar words are offered among the answer choices.

? Do not assume that the first blank is the one that should be filled first;

perhaps one of the other blanks is easier to fill first. Select your choice for that blank, and then see whether you can complete another blank. If none of the choices for the other blank seem to make sense, go back and reconsider your first selection.

? When you have made your selection for each blank, check to make sure the

passage is logically, grammatically and stylistically coherent.

Text Completion Sample Questions

For each blank select one entry from the corresponding column of choices. Fill all blanks in the way that best completes the text.

1. It is refreshing to read a book about our planet by an author who does not

allow facts to be (i)__________ by politics: well aware of the political

disputes about the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity, this author does not permit them to (ii)__________ his comprehensive description of what we know about our biosphere. He emphasizes the

enormous gaps in our knowledge, the sparseness of our observations, and the (iii)__________, calling attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before we can accurately diagnose the condition of our planet.

Sample Question 1 Answers. Blank (i) (A) overshadowed (B) invalidated (C) illuminated 2. Explanation Blank (ii) (D) enhance (E) obscure Blank (iii) (G) plausibility of our hypotheses (H) certainty of our entitlement (F) underscore (I) superficiality of our theories 3. The overall tone of the passage is clearly complimentary. To understand what the author of the book is being complimented on, it is useful to focus on the second blank. Here, we must determine what word would indicate something that the author is praised for not permitting. The only answer choice that fits the case is \generally good things to do, not things one should refrain from doing. Choosing \that fits well with \(i) without filling blank (ii) first is hard — each choice has at least some initial plausibility. Since the third blank requires a phrase that matches \gaps\\4. Thus the correct answer is choice A (overshadowed), choice E (obscure) and choice I (superficiality of our theories). 5. Vain and prone to violence, Caravaggio could not handle success: the more

his (i)__________ as an artist increased, the more (ii)__________ his life became.

Sample Question 3 Answers. Blank (i) (A) temperance (B) notoriety (C) eminence 6. Explanation Blank (ii) (D) tumultuous (E) providential (F) dispassionate 7. In this sentence, what follows the colon must explain or spell out what precedes it. So, roughly, what the second part must say is that as Caravaggio became more successful, his life got more out of control. When one looks for words to fill the blanks, it becomes clear that \the best fit for blank (ii), since neither of the other choices suggests being out of control. And for blank (i), the best choice is \increase in eminence is a consequence of becoming more successful. It is true that Caravaggio might also increase in notoriety, but an increase in notoriety as an artist is not as clear a sign of success as an increase in eminence. 8. Thus the correct answer is choice C (eminence) and choice D (tumultuous). 9. In parts of the Arctic, the land grades into the landfast ice so _______ that you can walk off the coast and not know you are over the hidden sea. Sample Question 3 Answers. (A) permanently (B) imperceptibly (C) irregularly (D) precariously